The application fee is €25 which you send along with your application form to a district court clerk, called the Small Claims Registrar. The fee is non-refundable, and the service is provided in your local district court office.

Are you eligible?

You can use the Small Claims procedure if your claim is for €2,000 or less. Only certain claims can be brought using the Small Claims procedure. You can make a claim if you are:

A consumer, making a claim for goods or services bought for private use from someone selling them as part of a business

A business, making a claim for goods or services bought for business use from someone selling them as part of a business

Making a claim for minor damage to property

Making a claim if a rent deposit for certain kinds of rented properties has not been returned. For example, a holiday home or a room / flat in a premises where the owner also lives.

The claim cannot be one in relation to an agreement covered under the Consumer Credit Act 1995. Examples of this include: hire purchase agreements, loans and credit cards.

The small claims procedure doesn’t deal with debts, personal injuries or breaches of leasing agreements. It also does not deal with most claims about private rental properties – except those mentioned above. Claims about most private rented properties are handled by the Private Residential Tenancies Board.

Claims can be made for faulty goods, bad workmanship or minor damage to property, but before you make a claim, make sure you know your rights and have followed up on other options. You should also check with the Registrar before you submit a claim through the Small Claims procedure to make sure they look at your type of issue.

Since 1 January 2009 consumers can also use the Small Claims procedure in Ireland to make a claim against a business based elsewhere in the EU (except Denmark).

How to make a claim

You can lodge your claim online at courts.ie, or download the Small Claim application form from the site. You must give details of the claimant (you), the respondent (the business), the amount claimed and the details of your claim.

If the respondent is a company rather than a person, you should try to get the correct name of the company from the Companies Registration Office.
Complete the application and pay the €25 non-refundable fee. You must submit the form to the District Court of the district in which the contract was made.

What happens next

The Small Claims Registrar will process your claim. The Registrar will tell the relevant business you are making a claim. The business must then reply within 15 days, otherwise the claim will be automatically treated as undisputed.

If the claim is undisputed, the District Court will make an order in your favour – without you having to attend court – for the amount claimed, and tell the business that they must pay you within a specific period of time.

If the business does reply to your claim, it has a few options, such as

Admitting the claim and paying you immediately

Making the payment conditional (for example, on you returning some faulty goods)

Asking if they can pay you the claimed amount in instalments

Disputing the claim or counter-claiming (claiming against you)

Appealing a decision

If you are not satisfied with the decision of the Smalls Claims Court, you can appeal this to the Circuit Court. You may need to seek legal advice in this case. You must submit your appeal application within 14 calendar days of the court hearing. You can find out more information on courts.ie.

Claims against businesses in other EU countries

Consumers in Ireland can make cross-borders claims against businesses in other EU countries through the Small Claims procedure.

You can make claims of up to €5,000 against product and service providers in other EU states (except Denmark) through your local District Court, even if the item was purchased in another EU country. For further information, contact the European Consumer Centre in Dublin.